Pope Francis is in Hungary visiting with the president and prime minister of the country.
One Ukrainian refugee who fled his home and came to the U.S. looking for safety is struggling to survive in New York City.
A deacon in the Diocese of Brooklyn wants to teach you self defense at his karate dojo.
We’ll introduce you to a Brooklyn parishioner who’s serving up food and faith to those in need.
Pope Francis ended his first day in Hungary at the Co-Cathedral of St. Stephen’s, which was packed with Hungarian clergy and lay people.
Much of the rest of the pope’s trip will be spent with the lay people of Hungary. On Saturday, he will visit visually impaired children, then he’ll meet with refugees at the church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Finally the pope will meet with young people at a sports arena, where he will deliver a speech.
On Sunday, The Holy Father will celebrate Mass at what is commonly known as Nation Square in the center of Budapest.
Elise Allen, Senior Reporter at Crux, joins Currents News to discuss the Pope’s visit to the country.
By Cindy Wooden
As expected, in his first speech in Hungary — to government and civic leaders and diplomats serving in Budapest — the pope acknowledged efforts to protect traditional values, but insisted those values include supporting European unity, welcoming migrants and working to end the war in neighboring Ukraine.
The “passionate quest of a politics of community and the strengthening of multilateral relations seems a wistful memory from a distant past,” he said April 28 in his speech at the former Carmelite monastery that now houses the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“More and more,” the pope said, “enthusiasm for building a peaceful and stable community of nations seems to be cooling, as zones of influence are marked out, differences accentuated, nationalism is on the rise and ever harsher judgments and language are used in confronting others.”
The 86-year-old pope, who was released from the hospital April 1 after what the Vatican said was a bout of bronchitis and who frequently has been using a wheelchair or walker because of knee problems, simply used a cane when he walked the length of the ITA Airways plane to greet journalists during the two-hour flight from Rome.
He joked about his health — “weeds never die” — and, in response to a Polish journalist who thanked him for defending St. John Paul II, the pope described as “foolishness” rumors that the Polish pope was somehow involved in the disappearance in 1983 of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old Vatican resident.
Pope Francis continued using the cane instead of a wheelchair as he walked down the red carpet at the Budapest airport and around the presidential Sándor Palace where he met privately for 25 minutes with Hungarian President Katalin Novák and then for 20 minutes with Orbán.
Novák, welcoming Pope Francis to the meeting with government and civic representatives, told him Hungarians expected to receive encouragement from him in their quest to help make Europe “more peaceful, more democratic and stronger.”
“Over the past 30 years,” she told him, Hungarian Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants have joined forces in “the ecumenism of the preservation of Christian values,” specifically regarding marriage, family life and abortion.
In his speech, Pope Francis told those gathered that around the globe politics is showing signs of an “adolescent belligerence” that seems more about stirring up emotions than resolving problems.
“Peace will never come as the result of the pursuit of individual strategic interests, but only from policies capable of looking to the bigger picture, to the development of everyone: policies that are attentive to individuals, to the poor and to the future, and not merely to power, profit and present prospects,” Pope Francis said.
That attention, he said, must allow room for the different countries of the European Union and the different communities within each nation to assert their own identities but not at the cost of denigrating or denying the rights of others.
Mentioning some areas of common ground with Orbán’s government, Pope Francis described as “ideological colonization” efforts to promote acceptance across Europe of “so-called gender theory,” which sees gender as a social construct rather than a biological fact, and “reductive concepts of freedom, for example by vaunting as progress a senseless ‘right to abortion,’ which is always a tragic defeat.”
“How much better it would be to build a Europe centered on the human person and on its peoples,” he said, pointing positively to Hungary’s pro-family policies that encourage married couples to have children.
But Pope Francis also used the words of St. Stephen, the 11th-century king of Hungary, to draw attention to the theme of migration, a major area of difference with Orbán who, since 2015, has promoted a “no migrants” policy.
The sainted king, the pope said, told his people: “I urge you to show favor not only to relations and kin, or to the powerful and wealthy, or to your neighbors and fellow countrymen, but also to foreigners and all who come to you.”
Migration, Pope Francis said, is a “heated” topic in today’s world, but “for those who are Christians, our basic attitude cannot differ from that which St. Stephen recommended,” a lesson learned from Jesus, “who identified himself with the stranger needing to be welcomed” in Matthew 25.
Pope Francis said it was “urgent” that Europe as a whole devise “safe and legal ways” for those fleeing violence, poverty and climate change to enter its borders.
Migration cannot be stemmed by a general attitude of rejecting the possibility, he said, “but must be embraced in order to prepare for a future that, unless it is shared, will not exist.”
A dash of faith, a pinch of compassion, and a heart full of love.
It’s the recipe for the Feed the Homeless ministry at Our Lady of Grace in Gravesend.
The Brooklyn church is alive and well, thanks to its dedicated parishioners.
Pat Fleming, who runs the church’s kitchen, is the Pulse of the Parish.
“It makes me feel good when I come down and I can do something to help out other people,” Fleming said. “Which is what Jesus really wants us to do, he wants us to help out other people.”
For the past 15 years, Fleming has been the cook for Feed the Homeless.
Cooking is a skill the Brooklynite learned as a kid out of necessity.
“When I was young in grammar school, if I wanted to eat breakfast because I was up at 6 o’clock in the morning, and my mother ain’t getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning to cook, I had to cook my own breakfast,” Fleming said.
While times have changed Fleming’s love for cooking hasn’t. In fact, it’s because of his love and camaraderie that the
“Me and my wife, we argue over who’s gonna cook, ” Fleming said. “She’s a good cook. I’m a better cook.”
After cooking the meals, which include bread, franks, rice and beans, Fleming and other volunteers will pack and place the food into insulated bags and then drive them out to Brighton Beach to share their food and their faith.
Those who are homeless often wait for them in a parking lot to be served. And even when they’re fed the work doesn’t stop there.
Volunteers continue on to the boardwalk to find others who may be in need of food, prayer, or the word.
It’s one of several things Fleming values about the ministry and its efforts of helping those in need.
“They’re taking their time out to help other people and that’s what everybody here does,” Fleming said. “We got such a great crew. People are always willing to do something else for somebody and that’s a great thing.”
A disturbing report from the FBI shows active shooters last year killed or injured more than 300 people.
Now that the House voted to pass a bill raising the nation’s debt ceiling, it goes to the Senate for consideration.
In tonight’s Pulse Of The Parish, we’ll meet Pat Fleming, a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace in Brooklyn, who takes over the rectory kitchen to cook for those less fortunate.
Gertrude Conway has a routine, first the candles, then the books, then she opens the door, next she fixes the ribbons on the pews. She runs a tight ship at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Brooklyn Heights.
“I always want it to look beautiful, I don’t need any help, I do it myself, people coming in if they see the pews strewn with books and things they get the wrong impression, they think we don’t care and we do care,” she said.
She’s been doing this volunteer work for decades, Pastor, Father Mark Amatrucola says she’s the lifeblood of the parish.
“Gertrude is at the center of everything we do, this is very much her home and her family and feels welcome here and is always willing to give her all,” he said.
And age definitely hasn’t slowed her down, in a few weeks she’ll be 100 and as her milestone birthday fast approaches, Gertrude says she’s always found comfort in consistency. The world around her is ever changing, but she stays the same.
“I could go tomorrow or I could go a couple of years from now, only God knows and I don’t plan on it, I don’t sit and worry about it, I don’t give it a second thought, I just get up in the morning and do the same thing I did yesterday. I’m the same today as I was 50 years ago, haven’t changed at all,” she said.
Over the years she hasn’t lost her spark – her passion lies right here with her in the pews of her parish.”I love my faith because it’s done so much for me, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my faith, I always joke I say what I do here in the church, I’m working my way to heaven it’s the only way I’ll get there,” she said.
You won’t find her front and center at mass, she sits in the back, alone with her prayers.
“There’s a real special, humble nature about who she is and knowing she’s seen a lot in her life but is always full of joy and good spirit for this place,” said Fr. Mark.
“God and the Blessed Mother have been very, very good to me and I feel like what little I can do is thank you,” Gertrude said.
When it comes to Gertrude’s faith, it’s not part of her routine – it’s who she is.
Since the pandemic, more families have been choosing Catholic schools for their children’s education here in the Diocese of brooklyn and beyond.
A new study by the National Catholic Educational Association shows that enrollment has been on an up-tick over the last three years.
Currents News catches up with Lincoln Snyder, the organization’s president, to break down the numbers and explain what it all means for Catholic Education.
If you’re interested in sending your child to Catholic schools visit https://catholicschoolsbq.org/ or call 718-965-7380 for more information.
A gruesome finding from the FBI is shedding new light on active shootings in America.
Casualties are on the rise, after findings showed that over 300 people were either killed or hurt in 2022, but that’s not the only disturbing information being made public.
A new report from the bureau, shows the number of casualties from active shooter situations in the U.S. was the highest in 2022, more than it had been in five years.
“It’s something that we’ve struggled with now for years,” Stephen Gutowski, Founder of ‘The Reload’ Firearms Policy Publication, said. “We’ve seen an increase in these sorts of attacks over the last decade or more.”
The shootings that were recorded last year were not dominated by AR-15s or other rifles.
The report also showed that 61 of the total firearms used by active shooters, 29 were handguns, 26 were rifles, three were shotguns, and three firearms are classified as “unknown”.
Washington State tightened its laws on Tuesday, banning the sale of most assault-style weapons, and enacting a 10-day waiting period and training requirements for all gun purchases.
“These weapons of war of assault weapons have no reason, other than mass murder,” Gov. Jay Inslee said.
Senior Correspondent for Crux, Elise Allen, will be traveling with Pope Francis .
The Holy Father will meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orban not long after he touches down on Friday.
During his first day there he will also meet the President of The Republic And Local Clergy.
On Saturday, Pope Francis will be with the people, first visiting visually impaired children, then he’ll meet with refugees at the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Finally the pope will meet with young people at a sports arena, where he will deliver a speech.
On Sunday, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass at what is commonly known as Nation Square, in the center of Budapest.
He will then deliver his final speech of the trip to members of the cultural and academic world at a Catholic university before heading back to Rome.
By Jessica Easthope
The Holy Spirit powers his kicks, and faith fuels the force of his strikes. Deacon Dean Dobbins says when it comes to self-defense, you can never be too prepared.”You never know what perpetrator might be coming at you, you never know, especially in times like this, the cities are out of control right now,” he said.
The permanent deacon at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills, is also a former NYPD detective and 8th degree black belt – who knows just how dangerous the streets of New York City have become.
“The violence rate is up so high, people are getting pushed into subways, people are getting mugged, people are getting punched in the face, people who take martial arts would be able to defend themselves and walk away from it,” said Deacon Dean.
While the NYPD doesn’t keep statistics on random and unprovoked attacks, so far in the first four months of 2023 there have been 7,884 felony assaults and 12,607 misdemeanor assaults, that’s more than the number of assaults in the entirety of 2022.
At Deacon Dean’s dojo, the Okinawan Karate Do of New York, he welcomes people from all walks of life to come in and to learn the discipline and inner strength it takes to stay safe on the streets.
Destin Cava is a seventh grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy. Since he and his cousin Solmarie Navas started taking karate lessons here last year, they’re more self-aware and much more confident.
“I don’t have both my headphones in, I make sure I’m careful if I walk the streets, I’m self aware.” said Destin.
“At first when I didn’t go to martial arts I was nervous, shy and wasn’t confident enough to be in school and communicate but now since I’m in martial arts I have developed, and I communicate and socialize even more,” Solmarie said.
Deacon Dean says his classes are not about fighting – but thriving.
“If I can teach my students anything it’s about respect and that martial arts can get you through a hard time, I just want to see them as better people, it helps them in school, in their faith and I just want to teach them about what’s out there,” he said.
And what’s out there better think twice.